Tuesday, July 21, 2009

A summer obsession built on Coolhaus

If you haven't heard of the pun-friendly, peripatetic ice-cream truck, it's the latest summer craze to hit L.A.

The Coolhaus duo, Natasha Case and Freya Estreller, who also happen to be architecturally inclined, serve ice cream sandwiches that are all-natural and home-made. And for 50 cents more, you can even chow down on an edible wrapper. All in the name of no waste (No waist, however, is a different story.)

Their "sammies," as they call the sandwiches, boast architecture-inspired monikers, such asFrank Behry (sugar cookie and strawberry ice cream) -- which, by the way, is what CC and I ordered -- and Mintimalism (chocolate cookie and mint chip ice cream). Even the name of their company is a rif on good ol' Rem (as in Koolhaas).

Gotta love ice-cream-friendly smarty-pants.

It's a really fun concept, as Natasha and Freya make their way around the city via a souped-up postal truck. They announce where they're going to be via Twitter. (They're @COOLHAUS, btw.)

When CC and I were ordering our Frank Behry ($3), I chatted with Natasha about kids' parties, and she said they have catered several. The edible wrappers can even be custom designed to include a child's picture and message. And, she emphasized, they have no sugar in them, which parents love. It's just wafer paper. Even better.

Can't say CC knew what to make of one of the wrappers on its own, but she sure didn't mind biting into it when it became part of the sandwich itself.

Sorry, I don't have a pic of the actual sammie. We inhaled that handful of Behry goodness before you could say Mies Vanilla Rohe.